Elephant Caregiver Killed, Will Be Missed

Sept. 12, 2014 - Dr. Jim Laurita,
cofounder and elephant manager at Hope Elephants, was tragically killed
September 10, apparently after being stepped on by one of the elephants
at the facility. National Geographic was with him for production of a
feature video the day before. His friends and colleagues pay tribute to
the man they knew as Dr. Jim,
remembering him as an extremely passionate and professional
veterinarian who cared for all living creatures, whether they walked on
two legs or four.

DES FITZGERALD, FRIEND (OFF-CAMERA):In a small community like this one you lose somebody as important as Jim is, it
is very, very difficult and gives us all pause.

[On-screen Text]: Jim Laurita, co-founder and elephant
manager at Hope Elephants, was reportedly killed by one of the elephants when
he was stepped on in the elephant enclosure on September 10, 2014.

DES FITZGERALD, FRIEND:
I think a lot of people know Jim through his vet
practice. And we tend to underestimate
what it’s like to lose a pet and when Jim had a hand that end-of-time for a
pet, my personal experience twice with him was he did it with incredible
sensitivity. Very heartfelt. And that compassion was the way Jim lived his
life and we all felt that and knew it.

KATE HENRY, VETERINARIAN, THE CAMDEN HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS:
Jim was an old-school veterinarian but his foremost, the
thing that he exuded was his love of animals.
He did this because he had a true passion and desire to help
animals.

KATIE CELLANA, VETERINARY ASSISTANT, THE CAMDEN HOSPITAL FOR
ANIMALS:
It was really nice to see what he does there. People think of it like, “Oh, can you ride
the elephants?” Like, no, they’re
retired circus animals that are there to relax and enjoy their life.

One of the elephants, Rosie, her trunk is not really
paralyzed but she has a hard time move it.
So, she sways it and he would have something in his hands and he would watch her sway it and finally
get food into her mouth. It was, it was
really interesting to watch. And how
connecting he is to the elephants and,
you know, anyone could see that going there, in watching him being next to
them.

JUDITH HAZEN, RECEPTIONIST, THE CAMDEN HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS:
Myself, my daughter, my husband and son have gone out there
many times. They [Rosie and Opal] would
just watch him. Just come over to him
and, you know, put their trunk near him.
And they just knew that he was their master.

GARY ANDERSON, FRIEND:
I’ve known Jimmy since I moved here 26 years ago. He was our vet for many years. Um, he was a nice guy. Just loved animals more than anybody I
know.

He was just well liked by everybody. He really was, you know. I mean, the only way
I can describe him was as a kind soul.

KATE HENRY,
VETERINARIAN, THE CAMDEN HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS:
Jim would be wrong-side out if people thought badly of the
elephants.

I’ve only had once a week with Jim. Um, it was an honor and a privilege. That’s really, I mean, he just made you
really want to be better at what you did.
You know. He will be missed.

Elephant Caregiver Killed, Will Be Missed

Sept. 12, 2014 - Dr. Jim Laurita,
cofounder and elephant manager at Hope Elephants, was tragically killed
September 10, apparently after being stepped on by one of the elephants
at the facility. National Geographic was with him for production of a
feature video the day before. His friends and colleagues pay tribute to
the man they knew as Dr. Jim,
remembering him as an extremely passionate and professional
veterinarian who cared for all living creatures, whether they walked on
two legs or four.